YMMV / Basilisk

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The anime:

Complete Monster: Tenzen Yakushiji, the Number Two of the Iga Clan and the true Big Bad, absolutely leaps heads and shoulders over any of his fellow ninja for sadism, cruelty, greed and monstrosity. Secretly a centuries old former Koga himself, Tenzen has nothing but loathing for the Koga and little use for his own Clan. When Princess Oboro seals away her mystic eyes, Tenzen attempts to rape her before being stopped by a Koga attack. Engaging the Koga ninja, Gyobu Kasumi, Tenzen hears how Gyobu's father was murdered by Iga and in their duel, tricks Gyobu into striking at a child, forcing the boy's father to take a fatal blow, solely so the child's pain rattles Gyobu enough for Tenzen to win. Tenzen sadistically toys with other ninja and abandons his loyal student Koshiro because Koshiro had objected to his actions with Oboro. When Tenzen captures the beautiful Koga shinobi, Kagero, because her powers make raping her impossible, he brutally tortures her by impaling her with needles, before attempting to rape Oboro with intent of forcing her to dispel Kagero's powers to force himself on her as well. When he faces off with the young Koga leader Gennosuke, Tenzen reveals his intent to destroy all in his path, end the war victoriously and force Oboro to be his bride while he rules Japan from the shadows through the young shogun.

Darkness-Induced Audience Apathy: This is not surprising, considering how many in a series of cynical and insidious characters with gray morality, whose correctness depends only for which side you are rooting.

Epileptic Trees: What is the degree of kinship between the characters? While most of the main characters are similar to each other not only within the clan, but on their opponents (Oboro and Gennosooke look like each other like Half-Identical Twins), the series never answers this question, revealing the family ties of only a couple of characters.

Family-Unfriendly Aesop: Although the series has problems with this, the author is clearly trying to convey the message that on both sides of the conflict there are ordinary people who have family or friends and who are forced to become monsters under the pressure of xenophobia and circumstances.

Jerk Ass Woobie: Hotarubi is totally crazy and VERY violent while fighting, but her last scene was totally heartbreaking. So much that not even the guy who kills her can deny her a last flash of happiness before she kicks it.

They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: Some fans were dissatisfied with the fact that the series portrayed Kouga more sympathetically compared to Iga, portraying the cynicism and cruelty of the former as something forced and gray, and similar actions by the latter as outright criminal acts. In this regard, in their view, the work could be more deeper and dramatic, if both sides were depicted neutrally.

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